Life, 1888-02-16 · page 9 of 20
Life — February 16, 1888 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Life Magazine, Page 93 This page contains several humorous sketches and brief comedic vignettes rather than political cartoons. The main feature is "Valentine Verse of Sam to Lil," a dialect poem with accompanying illustrations of Black figures in romantic and playful scenarios. The verse uses phonetic spelling to represent African American vernacular speech. Below are shorter joke items: "His Friend" (about a doctor), "A Complete Stock" (grocer's clerk banter about dog biscuits), "An Epicure" (boy near restaurant window), and a blizzard ice-cream joke. The humor derives from period stereotypes, wordplay, and social observation rather than political commentary. This reflects early 1900s American magazine comedy conventions, which frequently relied on dialect humor and racial caricature—content that would be considered offensive by modern standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: lovers. Coquetry would be as much despised in a girl as in a man.” The author fails to show how long, under this system, it would be possible to keep up a freshman class at Harvard University. 93 THE GLORIOUS WEST. ERE is the Omaha World's view of New York's growth: “Over $67,000,000 were invested in new buildings in New York last year. New York is rapidly be- * * * coming the Omaha of the East.” DEALISTS will be pleased to know that the favorite author in 2000 A. D. will be a “ great romancer ” named Berrian, whose works will be filled with “love galore, but love unfretted by artificial barriers created by differeaces of station or positions, owning no other law but that of the heart.” is ADY (looking at Lady Burton's edition of “ Arabian Nights,” to salesman): Is this edition ostracized? HE trains have been snowed up for nearly a week. Even George Francis has not been heard from for that period at least. 4 4 M VALENTINE VERSE OF SAM TO LIL. E ‘possum ar’ de sweetes’ meat— Sca’cely any rind,— 'N’ stan’in’ co'n ar’ good t’ eat— Jes’ roas’ et fine.— But what ar’ ‘possum fat t’ me! Jes’ might ez well be up de tree— "N’ all dat co’n a-nunde’ groun’ : Dat lubly ga/ am stan’n’ roun’.— Oh, lubly Lil, Jes! take yo fill, Dis ye's yo’ Sambo's Voluntine. HIS FRIEND. 6c HERE is Doctor Blank over there. He's the best friend I've got. Sends me lots of business.” “ What is your business?” “T run a crematory.” A COMPLETE STOCK. LD GENTLEMAN (¢o grocer’s clerk): Have you dog biscuit ? CLERK (4rzskly): Yes, sir; all kinds, sir. like best, sir? Which do you AN EPICURE. MALL BOY (near open window of restaurant): Jest smell dat soup, Jimmy. Hain’t dat fine? Jimmy (holding his nose): 1 ain’t smellin’ no soup ter- day, it ’ud spile me appetite fer de roas’ chicking. NE of the results of the blizzard was a milk famine. The ice-dealers used up all the available water for use in the ice famine next summer. This is not fair, Mr. Iceman. Give the milkman a chance, comicbooks.com